Local News Briefs Tuesday 8/12/14

Dodge County Sheriff’s deputies investigated three injury accidents in less than 12 hours Sunday. The first was shortly after 1:30 a.m. when a vehicle went into a ditch on State Highway 26 and Second Street Road in the Town of Emmet. Twenty-six-year-old Scott Ortega was arrested for his 1st OWI. He suffered a bump to the head. The second happened shortly before 11:30 a.m. when a pickup truck rolled over on Maiden Lane Road near Soldner Road in the Town of Lowell. Eighteen-year-old Tyler Wagner of Rubicon was cited for not having control of his vehicle. A passenger suffered a small laceration on his arm. The final accident when two vehicles collided shortly after 1 p.m. on County Road P near the intersection with Harding Road in the Town of Ashippun. Seventy-three-year-old Patricia Tessmann of Oconomowoc lost control of her minivan causing a crash with 53-year-old Becky Witzig-Weil of Neosho who was driving an SUV. Both drivers suffered non-life threatening injuries and were taken to Oconomowoc Hospital.

Cudahy Man Charged For FDL County Pursuit

The 28-year-old Cudahy man who led Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputies on a chase that ended when he ran into a parked car in Fond du Lac was recently charged. Bond was set at $25,000 cash when Michael Connerton made an initial appearance in Fond du Lac County Court on charges of 1st degree recklessly endangering safety and fleeing an officer. Deputies tried to stop Connerton’s car last Tuesday afternoon because it had been reported in connection with a missing and endangered subject who might be suicidal. The chase lasted 7.3 miles and ended when two Sheriff’s deputies boxed the vehicle in and one sideswiped it causing it to crash into a parked car. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Sand Tunnel Collapses On Boy At State Park

(WHBL-Sheboygan)-There was a near-tragic incident over the weekend on the beach at Kohler Andrae State Park in Sheboygan.   An 11-year-old boy was buried for a time after sand collapsed on him while digging a tunnel in the sand dunes on Saturday afternoon.    Witnesses say boys had dug a tunnel and, when the victim went in to do some more digging, the sand collapsed on him.  People nearby weren’t able to get him out, so they called for help.  The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department says the call came in around 2:30 and they sent the town of Wilson Fire Department, First Responders and the park ranger to the scene.  They were able to get the boy out.  Witnesses say that, luckily, there was an air pocket under the sand and it saved his life because he was breathing when they got him out.  He was flown to a Milwaukee hospital, where officials expect him to be okay.

Pursuits Demand Focus Of Law Enforcement Officials

North Fond du Lac Police Chief Darren Pautsch says law enforcement officials try to avoid high speed pursuits if at all possible. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department was involved in two pursuits during the past week. In one they caught the person by boxing their vehicle in and it crashed into a parked vehicle in Fond du Lac. In the other the driver got away by crashing into a ditch and stealing another vehicle. Pautsch says a high speed chase can be dangerous for the officers and the public. He says officers have to stay focused and not get caught up in the emotion of the moment. Pautsch says sometimes they have to rely on other law enforcement agencies for help in catching the suspect and that where radio communications play a role. He says sometimes they have to cut off the pursuit when it becomes too dangerous, but eventually they will find that person.

Four Republicans Battle Over 6^th Congressional District Seat

The three primary Republican candidates in the 6th Congressional District race all have state government backgrounds. State Representative Duey Stroebel says he actually has more business experience than his opponents and can bring that experience to Washington, D.C. State Senator Joe Leibham says he has the leadership capability Congress needs. State Senator Glenn Grothman says unlike his opponents he’s not afraid to get involved in controversial issues. The fourth Republican candidate is Tom Denow of Oshkosh who is retired and has business, industry and teaching experience. The winner faces Democrat Mark Harris in November.

FDL School Board Meeting Cancelled Due To Lack Of A Quorum Of Members

Due to lack of a quorum the Fond du Lac School Board cancelled its meeting last night. During the meeting the board was expected to approve the hiring of Amy Rettler as an assistant principal at the Woodworth Middle School. She will replace Matt Steinbarth who became the principal at Lakeshore Elementary. Rettler was one of 65 applicants for the job and mostly recently worked for the Hartford Joint 1 School District as a middle school special education teacher. Fond du Lac School Superintendent Jim Sebert says she’s very polished.

Facts And Fiction About Commonwealth Companies

Commonwealth Companies President Louie Lange says some people have misconceptions about the properties they rent in Fond du Lac. He says some of the funding they receive is through programs with the words low income in their title, but in fact they rent mixed income properties. He says some of their tenants are nurses, teachers, firefighters and from other professions. Lange says typically the people they rent to will move about 3 miles, but they don’t advertise in Milwaukee, Chicago or as one rumor had it Detroit to get people to move to Fond du Lac. He says they also don’t use free cell phones as an incentive for renting. He says they also don’t need to hire people to pass out flyers in other cities. He some facts are they have brought over $34 million of real estate into the community. Lange says they currently employee 127 people and have added 19 over the last 12 months.